Independence F.C.
| dissolved = | ground = Independence Stadium | capacity = 25,500 | owner = Roger Harkness | chairman = | manager = Vincent Giambra | coach = | currentleague = League A | currentposition = | lastseason = | lastleaguea = League A | lastposition = 7th | current = | website = | firstgame = | largestwin = | worstdefeat = | topscorer = | fansgroup = | honours = | American = }} Independence Football Club is a professional association football club based in Battleport, St. Gregory. The team plays in League A of the St. Gregory Football Association and won their maiden league title in 2016-17. Independence are considered one of St. Gregory's first "mega-clubs" outside of the Big Three in terms of financial backing and ability to attract international talent. Of all clubs to emerge in the post-League C expansion era of the early 1990s, Independence are one of the most successful, having firmly established themselves in League A for most of the last decade. History Early years (1994-1999) Independence was established in 1994 by American entrepreneur Roger Harkness to celebrate the 10th anniversary of St. Gregory becoming a United States territory that year. Harkness also wanted to celebrate the U.S. hosting the 1994 FIFA World Cup and the upcoming debut of Major League Soccer. In keeping with St. Gregory naming traditions, Harkness called the club Independence '''Football' Club'', rather than using the term "soccer," which is more widely used in the United States. Independence joined the SGFA in time for the 1996-97 League C season and struck a deal with Armed Forces to play their first seasons at Academy Athletic Ground while plans for a new stadium were being finalized. The team's first league match was played on October 5, 1996 at the Academy Ground, where Independence defeated Highlanders 1-0 on a goal by Dustin Haggerty. They went unbeaten in their first five games, winning three and drawing two, before losing 1-0 away at Eastport Strikers. Although they would go on to suffer an eight-game losing streak in the middle of the season, they then went undefeated again for their next eight and defeated highly-ranked Don Bosco twice to finish the season 9th out of 12 teams. Arrival of Goran Šiljak (1999-2014) In 1999, the club hired Serbian manager Goran Šiljak, who guided the team to their first League C championship in 1999-2000, thus earning promotion to League B. Two seasons later, Independence won the League B title and were promoted to League A for the first time. Independence won their first major trophy on June 8, 2013, defeating New Castle in a penalty shootout to win the 2013 SGFA Cup Final. Jeff Carruthers era (2014-) On November 29, 2014, Šiljak was fired by the club after four home losses in a row, ending a 15-year era for the club. On December 8, the club named Jeff Carruthers as the new manager. The 2016-17 League A season started out strong for the Eagles as they beat newly promoted Swifton Athletic and Cape Wells Wanderers in successive weeks, then held defending champions FC Chapman to a 2-2 draw at Independence Stadium. They went undefeated through the first nine weeks of the season before falling 2-1 at New Castle, which would be their only loss of the league campaign. Independence entered the final day of the season just two points ahead of Chapman, needing to beat Bonneville United at home to be assured of the championship. After falling behind 1-0 in the first half, Independence rallied to level and then win the match 3-2 on an Álex Castro goal in the 89th minute, giving the club their first-ever League A championship and making them one of only two clubs (along with Rivergate) to finish first in all three Gregorian professional leagues. Stadium :Main article: Independence Stadium The team has played its home games at the 25,500-seat Independence Stadium since it opened in 2005. The stadium was the first in St. Gregory to be built with a retractable roof, which can be closed in extremely hot or inclement weather, as well as a climate control system and a retractable field that can be removed for non-sporting events. For the first nine years of their existence, Independence shared the Academy Athletic Ground with its primary tenants, Armed Forces. The groundshare was intended to only be for Independence's first two seasons, however the development of Independence Stadium proved to be problematic throughout the planning stages and the arrangement ultimately lasted from 1996 until 2005. During seasons in which the two clubs played in the same league, Armed Forces fans created a chant for games between the two teams, describing Independence as "bad roommates". Colors, crest and nickname Independence play in red and blue kits and are nicknamed the Eagles, obvious references to their American origins. The use of red and blue stripes on the team's home shirts is also a nod to English club Crystal Palace, who also use the "Eagles" nickname. In 2010, the team adopted an away shirt consisting of a diagonal red and blue stripe on a field of white, an homage to the United States team which participated in the 1950 FIFA World Cup. The shirt proved popular with fans and was retained for three more years until the club changed kit manufacturers. The crest depicts the year 1996, despite the club being founded in 1994. This is typical of Gregorian football clubs, who usually display the year the team began playing, rather than the actual establishment date of the club. Kit manufacturers and sponsors Players Current squad : As of July 10, 2019 Note: Players without a flag are from St. Gregory. Players with an asterisk (*) are from outside the United States or its territories, or have represented a non-U.S. territory at international level, but hold either citizenship or permanent residency in the U.S. and thus do not count towards the league cap on foreign players. Out on loan Reserves and Academy :Further information: Young Eagles F.C. Former players :Further information: Category:Independence F.C. players Managerial history :Further information: Category:Independence F.C. managers Honors * League A :*'Champions (1)': 2016-17 * League B :*'Champions (2)': 2001-02, 2011-12 * League C :*'Champions (1)': 1999-2000 * SGFA Cup :*'Winners (1)': 2012-13 Category:Independence F.C. Category:Club pages